The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

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The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

Just watched the press conference on NBA TV. Couldn't be more thrilled.

Supposedly, they're going to get extremely involved in summer camps and leagues, and set standards for how much organized basketball kids can play, as well as provide instructional coaching as well as medical professionals to make sure these kids don't seriously damage themselves.

I've always been very open about my disdain for the AAU and youth basketball at large. I think it's great that there is going to be a concerted effort to educate these kids that they don't need to destroy themselves playing non-stop basketball in order to get a college scholarship or reach the NBA.

I also think it's important that the NBA and NCAA is going to sponsor these events and provide actual coaching, instead of the current coaches just rolling the ball out and letting these kids develop their own bad habits for the sake of winning meaningless summer league games.

Furthermore, I'm happy hat sometime in the future I won't have to see another 18-year old center undergo microfracture surgery because he's put 30 years worth of basketball mileage on 18 year old legs.

Last edited by Kstat; 04-07-2008 at 02:44 PM.

It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

Re: The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

Not just the physical toll, but mentally the AAU just ruins kids. If you're a star player, you are essentially permitted to ignore your teammates and focus solely on your own game. Then when these kids need to be integrated at a higher level (like an NCAA or NBA team), they're already been taught something that isn't easily dissolved.

But props to the NBA for stepping up and being proactive about something. Bud Selig and the MLB were reactive and it has ravaged their sport from the ground up.

Re: The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

That's the problem with AAU. They're coached by buddies and relatives, not actual coaches. All they care about is how many sponsors they can impress and how many points their favorite kid scores. And they get away with it by telling kids they have to wear themselves out, using college scouts as a scare tactic. I'm happy that won't be a problem anymore.

People who know nothing about basketball should not be instructing and supervising teenagers during their most formative years.

It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

Re: The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

NCAA and NBA to Create Youth Basketball Initiative
Posted Apr 7 2008 2:25PM
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Celebrate the Tradition
SAN ANTONIO, April 7 -- The NCAA and the NBA have joined forces to launch a wide-ranging initiative aimed at enhancing youth basketball programs in the United States, it was announced today by NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand and NBA Commissioner David Stern during a press conference from the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, TX.

The yet unnamed initiative is designed to reach and benefit everyone who participates in youth basketball programs, including the more than 23 million American boys and girls who play basketball, their parents and those who teach, officiate and administer youth basketball programs at every level. The initiative will create a platform for teaching youth the value of education and the important lessons of fair play.

While the initiative will operate as a business and is being founded and initially funded by the NCAA and NBA, it was developed with -- and will continue to benefit from -- input from a broad cross-section of parties that have an interest in youth basketball, including USA Basketball, led by its president Val Ackerman, the National Federation of State High Schools, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), coaches’ associations at every level, and the leading shoe companies. With basketball currently the number one participation team sport among boys and girls in the U.S., all key stakeholders in youth basketball felt a partnership was vital to the game’s continued growth.

“Nothing speaks more strongly for the future of basketball in America than to have all the key stakeholders come together to help create that future. That is what this initiative means. The leadership in American basketball is coming together,” said Brand. “The NCAA is pleased to help in a leadership role in this historic effort and values the opportunity to collaborate with the NBA.”

Initial programming for the initiative will begin during the 2008-09 basketball season, and the NCAA and NBA will soon begin a nationwide search for a chief executive to spearhead this initiative.

“We have an unwavering commitment to the growth of the game and we are excited to join together with the NCAA and other key stakeholders in helping to enhance the development of youth basketball,” said Stern. “Our goals with this broad-based initiative are to positively influence all boys and girls who play the game, to continue growing the number of those who do play, and to help all players develop both personally and on the court.” The initiative will focus on five central objectives:

# Building strong communities – The initiative will develop a website and social network that will be the ultimate destination for the youth basketball community. With the lack of a single organization giving structure to youth programs, the on-line destination will be an informational and fun meeting place designed to connect boys and girls, their families, teams, coaches and event organizers to further enhance their experience with basketball.

# Educating athletes – The venture will contribute to the social, educational and athletic development of young players through summer basketball camps and planned skills evaluation programs.

# Supporting coaches – Working in conjunction with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, NBA Coaches Association and the National Federation of State High Schools, the initiative will develop a coaching education and certification program as well as a code of conduct for coaches.

# Developing officials – The initiative will develop educational programs for youth basketball officials to increase their knowledge and proficiency of the rules and to certify them at all levels of youth competition.

# Events for youth competition – The venture will work with existing sanctioning organizations to establish national standards for future competitions and will also maintain and publish a national calendar of basketball events. In addition, the initiative will include the existing clearinghouse function which determines athletes' eligibility to participate in collegiate basketball.

It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

Re: The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

That's the problem with AAU. They're coached by buddies and relatives, not actual coaches. All they care about is how many sponsors they can impress and how many points their favorite kid scores. And they get away with it by telling kids they have to wear themselves out, using college scouts as a scare tactic. I'm happy that won't be a problem anymore.

People who know nothing about basketball should not be instructing and supervising teenagers during their most formative years.

Thanks for the article, I'm excited as well.

If you're interested, there's a great book called "The Miracle of St. Anthony." It's about Bobby Hurley's dad who coaches at an inner-city school in Baltimore. He has his high school team play in AAU tournaments against all the big teams and they routinely thrash them. The book's great at showing how his teams are able to win against far more talented teams because he teaches team concepts instead of showmanship. I'd highly recommend the book for anyone interested in youth basketball.

Re: The NBA, NCAA and USA basketball join forces for a great cause- youth basketball

Just watched the press conference on NBA TV. Couldn't be more thrilled.

Supposedly, they're going to get extremely involved in summer camps and leagues, and set standards for how much organized basketball kids can play, as well as provide instructional coaching as well as medical professionals to make sure these kids don't seriously damage themselves.

I've always been very open about my disdain for the AAU and youth basketball at large. I think it's great that there is going to be a concerted effort to educate these kids that they don't need to destroy themselves playing non-stop basketball in order to get a college scholarship or reach the NBA.

I also think it's important that the NBA and NCAA is going to sponsor these events and provide actual coaching, instead of the current coaches just rolling the ball out and letting these kids develop their own bad habits for the sake of winning meaningless summer league games.

Furthermore, I'm happy hat sometime in the future I won't have to see another 18-year old center undergo microfracture surgery because he's put 30 years worth of basketball mileage on 18 year old legs.

If you're going to be against something, you should be educated in it a little.

The cartilage deterioration is nothing new. Not even close. How it is diagnosed and treated is very new. Not unlike the rash of ACL tears in the mid to late 80's, it's about technology and medical advances created to deal with these problems.

My friend went through it in HS in the mid-80's, and the doctors told him he just had a trick knee. This was before MRI's became common, and the only way to find an ACL tear was via a scope. When you tear your ACL, especially partially, you can move forward without much of an issue. Cutting and stopping are different. If you rested for a month, assuming it was a sprain, it could heal enough with the proper bracing to play, though with a risk of continued injury. That is what the Hodges kid did from Tipton HS in Indiana.

The repetitive stresses aren't as a result of AAU basketball. It's the result of specialization, and when you examine just in Indiana alone the amount of time HS basketball program put into their program in the off-season, especially the months of June, April, May, June, September and October, it can be tough for a kid to play multiple sports.

As a kid I was well on my way to cartilage deterioration. Hours upon hours of playing on asphalt and concrete in the spring, summer and fall, or basketball courts placed directly on top of concrete in the winter, as much as four hours a day, everyday, is what would have done me in had I not stopped. Call it the Gus Macker effect.

Now kids play almost exclusively on courts which have cushioning systems underneath them, which is a great benefit.

Furthermore, you can't possibly blame this on AAU when your prevailing point of view is they just roll the ball out, i.e. don't practice. That's only played on the weekends, where the alternative for most of them would be playing in the park, just like we did in the 80's.

Of course for those teams which do practice quite a bit, including individual workouts, in programs with coaches with HS and college coaching experience...well...that also blows your theory wide open.